ATU choir concert scheduled for todayThe works of two Arkansas Tech University alumnae will be featured when the ATU Concert Chorale and the ATU Chamber Singers offer a concert today. The performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 304 S. Commerce Ave. in Russellville. Admission will be free and open to the public. Among the pieces on the program are "Through the Dark," a setting of a Helen Keller text by Dr. Andrea L. Ramsey, and "Fireflies in the Garde...

On your mark! Traffic disruptions expected for Half MarathonAround 1,400 runners from 37 states are registered to participate in the annual RussVegas Half Marathon event Saturday, race organizers say. The event is a major fundraising opportunity for the River Valley Circle of Friends and the Arkansas Children's Hospital. So far this year, over $52,000 has been raised for the cause. With related events on both Friday and Saturday this week, the possibility of significant traffic delays and disruptio...

7-month probe leads to 3 arrestsROMANCE -- Three Pope County residents and three White County residents have been arrested in connection with illegal hunting in Colorado and Arkansas. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC), Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service worked jointly in the investigation. Three of those arrested live in White County near Romance and were charged with 115 game violations. Daniel Ross, Hunter Ross and a juvenile have...

Former Yell EMS director scheduled to appear in court todayDANVILLE -- The former Yell County EMS director and secretary are scheduled to appear today in front of a special judge in Yell County Circuit Court. Sidney and Donna Ward were originally charged in January 2016 with 15 felony counts, after an Arkansas Legislative Audit (ALA) revealed $680,175 in unauthorized and undocumented payments from 2010 through 2015. Approximately $528,646 was allegedly illegally paid to Sidney, the former EMS director...

Yell court reappoints twoDANVILLE — The Yell County Quorum Court met to re-appoint two to the law library and review an appropriation ordinance. During the meeting, quorum court members re-appointed Marcus Vaden to the Danville Law Library Board and William Bullock to the Dardanelle Law Library Board. In other business, appropriation ordinance 2017-4, an appropriation ordinance amending the 2017 county budget, was approved. Judge Mark Thone explained the ordinance was...

Villareal is Student of the YearCLARKSVILLE — David Villareal, a senior at Clarksville High School who is currently ranked at the top of his class, was chosen by a committee at the school as Student of the Year. Steven Wyatt, assistant superintendent, said some of the reasons Villareal was selected from his standpoint is because he has helped with after school tutoring as part of the teacher cadet program, acted a role model for the younger students, is always positive and d...

Recess Rockers at Sequoyah finish last mileTHE COURIER / Emily Srader The “Recess Rockers” at Sequoyah Elementary recently finished their last mile in a program that started in February of this year. The students, whose grade levels range from second to fourth grade, have been running two laps every day at recess. The students did this to complete 13.1 miles, the equivalent to a half marathon.

ObituariesMelvin Vinson Oliver Melvin Vinson, 85, went to be with Jesus, Saturday, April 15, 2017, at the VA Hospital in Little Rock. He was born in Pope County, Sept. 1, 1931, raised in the Carden Bottom community of Yell County. Melvin was a photographer in the U.S. Air Force. He worked in maintenance for ConAgra, retiring after 26 years. He was an active member of Grace Chapel Pentecostal Church for over 50 years. He served as a Deacon-Trustee, Sunda...

High school students learn about careers in healthcareOZARK -- High school students from across the region were welcomed to the Arkansas Tech University-Ozark Campus on April 7 for a full day of hands-on learning about career paths in the health industry at an event called Hands on Healthcare. The event was organized by Arkansas Tech-Ozark Campus and UAMS West. It was held at the Arkansas Tech-Ozark Health Science & Wellness Building. High school students participating in the event were from seve...

The candy man can!THE COURIER / Joshua Mashon The Russellville High School Cyclone Theatre group are down to their last few practices in preparation for their performances of â€œWilly Wonka.â€ďż˝ Show dates and times are set for 7 p.m. on April 21 and 22 and at 2 p.m. on April 23 at The Center for the Arts, located on the RHS campus. Tickets are $10 per adult and $5 per student.

He's Alive!Loretta Page, one of about 100 performers in the “He’s Alive” passion play, has performed in the play every year since it first began 23 years ago. The play has been conducted annually by the Russellville First Assembly of God church with the exception of two years because of scheduling conflicts of Easter and spring break. Page, who plays several characters including “the gossip,” “the mourner” and the “rebel rouser” explained each year she i...

Hearing scheduled in Pearson DWI caseA special judge assigned to hear the case of a Fifth Judicial District circuit judge arrested in January and cited for DWI has scheduled a hearing for Monday in Johnson County Circuit Court. Jason Barrett, the special prosecutor assigned to the case after Fifth Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney David Gibbons recused himself, said last week that special judge John Langston, assigned after the judges in the Fifth Judicial District recused t...

Runoff election set for May 2The two candidates who will compete in a May 2 runoff election for the Ward 1, Position 1 seat on the Russellville City Council agree on one thing. They both plan on working hard the next 16 days and hope to convince more people to vote. Phyllis Carruth and Andrew Barrett garnered 42 and 49 percent, respectively, among three candidates after last Tuesday's special election. Barrett got 158 votes compared to 135 for Carruth. Carruth, the wife o...

1 in 10 county residents licensed to carry concealed weapons An estimated 1 in 10 Pope County adults are licensed to carry a concealed handgun based on data from the Arkansas State Police and the U.S. Census Bureau. A spokesman for the Arkansas State Police said recently that 5,036 concealed carry licenses are registered to residents of Pope County. The most recent data available from the U.S. Census Bureau shows Pope County has an estimated population of 49,109 adults (18 years of age or older). ...

State Capitol Week in ReviewLITTLE ROCK -- During the 2017 regular session, lawmakers considered numerous changes to existing law governing placement of neglected children. About a dozen were enacted. Many of the new acts set out clear legal procedures followed by attorneys for the state Children and Family Services Division, attorneys for parents both custodial and non-custodial, attorneys for other relatives of the children and attorneys for the children. For example, ...

by
FROM THE OFFICE OF SENATOR GREG STANDRIDGE.The Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Painting up the libraryTHE COURIER / Patricia Spears As part of National Library Week, the Pope County Library played host to Daniel Freeman from Kaleidoclasm in Russellville. Freeman conducted a live painting session in the middle of the library to end the week-long celebration.

Relay For Life plans to have three eventsThree big events are underway for Relay For Life — Purple Path of Hope, Carnival For a Cure and a cancer survivor dinner. The first of the three events to take place is the “kick off” event, Purple Path of Hope, formerly known as Paint the Town Purple. From April 23-29, all local businesses are asked to decorate their business in purple to show support for the Relay For Life. “This is to get everyone geared up,” Charlia Pack, Relay For Life ch...